SU lacrosse notebook

Salisbury middie Thomas Cirillo has tallied seven goals and three assists this season.

Balanced attack

Entering the 2014 season, the SU men's lacrosse team was poised for an offensive rebound, after struggling early last year to replace the bulk of its 2012 scoring.

With the defense experienced and strong and a handful of high-scoring attackmen back from last year, the question may have been about how the middies would perform.

So far, question answered.

"I really like our team as far as our midfielders," coach Jim Berkman said. "Our midfielders are playing a lot like attackmen. They are quick. They are fast, but they can see things. A lot of times middies are just middies, and they don't feed the ball as well, they don't see things, but our middies really move the ball and find open people. When you have six guys on the field who can do that, amazing things start to happen."

Senior Greg Korvin is second on the team in points (7 goals, 8 assists), junior Mike Cane is tied for the team lead in goals with 12 (2 assists), senior Sean Fitzgerald has nine goals and three assists, and senior Donovan Lange has tallied seven goals and five assists.

Sophomore Tommy Cirillo has also emerged as a bigger threat, putting up seven goals and three assists.

"You pick your poison," Berkman said. "If you are going to pull Lange, then (Sean) Fitzgerald is going to get four today. If you are going to pull Cirillo, then somebody else is going to get it. It is pretty even all the way down for the first six or seven guys."

Ready to emerge

One of the most impressive things about Salisbury's start to the season offensively is that all the weapons haven't really gotten into the mix yet. Sophomore Brady Dashiell and junior Jessie Rabishaw are off to a slow start, but could break out at any time.

"We haven't even really got Brady into the mix or Jessie into the mix yet," coach Jim Berkman said. "Brady is going to move into that second midfield line (today). Those guys aren't even in the mix, and those are two of the top eight offensive players and they haven't really gotten much time yet."

Coming off a season in which he finished third on the team in points with 29 goals and eight assists, Dashiell, a sophomore and Parkside graduate, started nine games a year ago and played in 22. He had a goal and an two assists at Greensboro in the opener, but hadn't gotten on the board since. He didn't play against McDaniel or Gettysburg.

Rabishaw had 12 goals and eight assists last year, while he played in 13 games and started 6. He did not get on the field as a freshman.

This season, Rabishaw has played in four games, started one and has recorded two ground balls.

No time to spare

Salisbury women's goalie Ashton Wheatley began the season with her eyes on winning the ultimate prize again this season - an NCAA title. But as a senior, she also has some other commitments to her major of nursing.

She misses two days of practice a week while she does clinical work at Peninsula Regional Medical Center, but does her best to make up for it on the other days.

"What I hate the most missing practice time is getting those constant shots," Wheatley said. "I try to run and do agility drills on my own after a long day, but after practice, it's not easiest thing to get someone to come shoot on me."

But head coach Jim Nestor isn't too worried about the reps. He knows with Wheatley's conditioning level that isn't a concern, and he said they just work her hard on those days when she is available. He knew entering the season this would be the case and was more than willing to work with his standout on her availability.

"The good thing is that she is experienced," Nestor said. "The other goalies fighting for time are going to get a good look on Tuesdays and Thursdays now, so if want to sub because we have the game in hand or for experience for the following year, they are getting reps and the defense getting used to them in case something should happen (to Ashton)."

And the workload also meshes well with her personality. She is not one to sit still even when she knows she probably should take the time to do so. In fact, Lacrosse is her outlet. It isn't so much work as it is the place she can leave all the stresses of the week behind.

"Everybody in my program is just like I don't know how you do it with the workload," Wheatley said. "I think that translates into me playing well, because I'm just trying to relax and that is how I relax. I don't sit around. I hate it. It drives me nuts. When I have to sit around, I feel bad about myself because I'm not doing something."